The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1887-06-22

started and again for some time they
sped swiftly along in silence. Finally
the girls began to be alarmed, and one
of them asked the young man if they were
not lost He told her that they were,
but that he hoped soon to reach the
shore at some point, even if they could
not get back TO the place from which
they started. Then the lady who had
led the others out of the right direc-
ton sank sobbing upon the ice and de-
clared that she could 60 no further.
The companions of the girl encouraged
her all they could, and the brave East
Tennessee girl voluntarily relinquished
her place at the young mans side, and
the almost fainting lady who had been
skating alone then had the assistance
of supporting arm. They started
once more, and after going rapidly for
some time, suddenly bright ray of
sunlight broke through rift in the
dense fog and lit up the tops of two
mountains on the shore not far away.
All stopped instantly and for some
minutes stood looking at the sun-lit
mountan-tops without being able to
decide where they were. Suddenly one
of the ladies asked: care not those
the Rattlesnake Mountains?" and then
the Vermonter recognized the crests,
with which he had been familiar from
childhood. and knew he was near the
New York shore and fully ten miles
from Shelburne Point. He knew that
Willlsboro Point on the New York side
was not far off, but he concluded that
it would be better to get back to the
Vermont side that night; and so, turn
ing about, they began their return. By
keeping the sunlit mountain-tops eX-
actly behind him the young man was
able to 60 directly toward the point he
wished to reach. After an hours hard
skating the rain began to fall, the sun
light on the mountain-tops faded away,
and hope was dying within the bosoms
of the three girls when they heard
shout Just as the young Vermonter
answered it the ice gave way beneath
his feet and he sank into the cold water
of the lake, leaving his companions
standing on either side of treacher-
Gus air-hole which had opened to re-
ceive him. They sprang quickly away,
sending wild screams ringing over the
frozen lake. But the brave girl of East
Tennessee glided up to the opening in
the ice, and when a hand appeared
above the dark water threw into it one
end of wrap which she had quickly
taken from her shoulders. The hand
grasped it and the brave girl drew the
drowning man above the water and by
means of the shawl held him upon the
edge of the ice until help came. Loud
shouts answered the screams of the
Vermont girls and soon the sharp ring
of skates was heard and the young New
Yorker, with his whole force of ship
builders from the Point, came with
ropes and lanterns. The young man
was quickly lifted from his perilous
position in the water, and then the
girl who saved his life sank fainting
upon the ice. She was taken up ten
derby, strong arms lifted the half
drowned Vermont boy, others gave as
sistance to the other ladies and soon all
were at their homes, thankful that their
lives had been spared.
The next day the whole story of the
adventure on the ice was told. The
leader when they started from Juniper
Island had no difficulty in following the
marks of the skates made by the party
going out, and in short time he reached
Shelburne Point and turned to congratu-
late his companions. To his infinite
surprise and alarm they were not with
him. He shouted frantically and dashed
back toward the island, leaving the
lady. Nothing could be seen of the
others. He shouted himself hoarse,
but received no answer. Then, realizing
that his companions were lost in the
fog, he returned to the Point, took off
his skates and ran as quickly as possible
to where the ship-builders were, mus
tered the whole force and at once be-
gan search. They got all the ropes
and cables, tied them together, stretched
the long line along the shore, and then
stringing themselves out the full length
of the line they started out to sweep
the whole lake in search of the lost
ones. Hardly mile from the point
they found them, and just in time to
save the life of the young man, as has
already been related And it was in
deed narrow escape for them all, for
that night the rain and wind broke up
the ice on the lake, and the next morn
ing long streaks of blue water could be
seen through the wide riffs in the ice.
Soon after this the visitor returned
to her home in East Tennessee and
did not again meet the young man
whose life she had saved until the war;
cloud had burst over the land and the
storm of death had spent its fury and
died away.
When President Lincoln, in 1861,
called for rs, 900 volunteers, the young
Vermonter answered the call and was
one of the first to be mustered into the
service. He was gallant soldier and
rose from the ranks to a captains posi-
ton. When peace was declared he was
in East Tennessee, and being ordered
with his company into one of the upper
counties to quell some disturbance, he
met the brave girl who had saved his
life on Lake Champlain. He was soon
after mustered out of service, but in
stead of returning North he remained
in East Tennessee, and is now citizen
of Knoxville, with the brave girl who
kept him from drowning as his wife and
the mother of his children.-KnorvHle
(1em) Sentinel.